A thief disguised as a postman tricked a woman into opening her front door to give him and his accomplices access to her home, a court heard on Wednesday.

The 58-year old Qormi woman ended up tied up as the three strangers ransacked her home, making off with gold, money and a CCTV decoder.

Prosecuting Inspector Fabian Fleri recounted events of the January 11 theft as Mark Anthony Cardona, 41, from Birkirkara and currently unemployed, stood alongside Ryan Briffa, 28, from Qormi, who declared that he had been “boarded out”.

The two pleaded not guilty to the aggravated theft, holding a person against her will, causing her slight injuries as well as carrying a knife without a police licence.

Both were charged as recidivists, while Mr Briffa was separately charged with breaching bail conditions.

A third man, also arrested in relation to the robbery, had been admitted to hospital after complaining of chest pains shortly before the arraignment. He is due to face charges at a later date.

Inspector Fleri said that CCTV footage clearly identified Mr Cardona as one of the thieves.

Mobile phone data, searches at the suspects’ homes as well as tests on clothing led investigators to close in upon the trio who had even, allegedly, scouted the area days before the robbery.

No request for bail was made at this stage and both co-accused were remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to the charges.

Inspectors Lydon Zammit and Roderick Agius also prosecuted.
Lawyers Franco Debono, Amadeus Cachia and Noel Bartolo were defence counsel.